Soybean cultivar WW109447

ABSTRACT

A soybean cultivar designated WW109447 with high yield potential and tolerance to Roundup™ herbicide, further including the plants and seeds of the cultivar WW109447, methods for producing a soybean plant by crossing the cultivar WW109447 with itself or another soybean plant. The invention also relates to soybean cultivar WW109447 further comprising one or more single gene traits, and to methods of producing a soybean having such traits by introgression, transformation or mutagenesis. The invention also includes using the soybean cultivar WW109447 to produce other soybean cultivars, breeding lines, and progeny.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of soybean breeding, specificallyto a new and distinctive soybean cultivar designated WW109447.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are numerous steps in the development of any novel, desirableplant germplasm. Plant breeding begins with the analysis and definitionof problems and weaknesses of the current germplasm, the establishmentof program goals, and the definition of specific breeding objectives.The next step is selection of germplasm that possess the traits to meetthe program goals. The goal is to combine in a single cultivar animproved combination of desirable traits from the parental germplasm.These important traits may include higher seed yield, resistance todiseases and insects, better stems and roots, tolerance to drought andheat, and better agronomic quality.

Soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] are recognized to be naturallyself-pollinated plants, while capable of undergoing cross-pollination,rarely do so in nature. However, soybeans can be bred by bothself-pollination and cross-pollination techniques. Choice of breeding orselection methods depends on the mode of plant reproduction, theheritability of the trait(s) being improved, and the type of cultivarused commercially (e.g., F1 hybrid cultivar, pureline cultivar, etc.).For highly heritable traits, a choice of superior individual plantsevaluated at a single location will be effective, whereas for traitswith low heritability, selection should be based on mean values obtainedfrom replicated evaluations of families of related plants. Popularselection methods commonly include pedigree selection, modified pedigreeselection, mass selection, and recurrent selection.

The complexity of inheritance influences choice of the breeding method.Backcross breeding is used to transfer one or a few favorable genes fora highly heritable trait into a desirable cultivar. This approach hasbeen used extensively for breeding disease-resistant cultivars. Variousrecurrent selection techniques are used to improve quantitativelyinherited traits controlled by numerous genes. The use of recurrentselection in self-pollinating crops depends on the ease of pollination,the frequency of successful hybrids from each pollination, and thenumber of hybrid offspring from each successful cross.

Each breeding program should include a periodic, objective evaluation ofthe efficiency of the breeding procedure. Evaluation criteria varydepending on the goal and objectives, but should include gain fromselection per year based on comparisons to an appropriate standard,overall value of the advanced breeding lines, and number of successfulcultivars produced per unit of input (e.g., per year, per dollarexpended, etc.)

Promising advanced breeding lines are thoroughly tested and compared toappropriate standards in environments representative of the commercialtarget area(s) for three or more years. The best lines are candidatesfor new commercial cultivars; those still deficient in a few traits maybe used as parents to produce new populations for further selection.

These processes, which lead to the final step of marketing anddistribution, usually take from eight to 12 years from the time thefirst cross is made. Therefore, development of new cultivars is atime-consuming process that requires precise forward planning, efficientuse of resources, and a minimum of changes in direction.

A most difficult task is the identification of individuals that aregenetically superior, because for most traits the true genotypic valueis masked by other confounding plant traits or environmental factors.One method of identifying a superior plant is to observe its performancerelative to other experimental plants and to a widely grown standardcultivar. If a single observation is inconclusive, replicatedobservations provide a better estimate of its genetic worth.

The goal of plant breeding is to develop new, unique and superiorsoybean cultivars and hybrids. The breeder initially selects and crossestwo or more parental lines, followed by repeated selfing and selection,producing many new genetic combinations. The breeder can theoreticallygenerate billions of different genetic combinations via crossing,selfing and mutations. The breeder has no direct control at the cellularlevel. Therefore, two breeders will never develop the same line, or evenvery similar lines, having the same soybean traits.

Each year, the plant breeder selects the germplasm to advance to thenext generation. This germplasm is grown under unique and differentgeographical, climate and soil conditions, and further selections arethen made during and at the end of the growing season. The developmentof new cultivars is unpredictable. This unpredictability is because thebreeder's selection occurs in unique environments, with no control atthe DNA level (using conventional breeding procedures,) and withmillions of different possible genetic combinations being generated. Abreeder of ordinary skill in the art cannot predict the final resultinglines he develops, except possibly in a very gross and general fashion.The same breeder cannot produce the same cultivar twice by using theexact same original parents and the same selection techniques. Thus,many cultivates that are developed do not contain a desired trait or setof traits and are dropped from further development. This inability topredict the genotype or phenotype of the final resulting cultivarsresults in the expenditure of large amounts of research monies todevelop new soybean cultivars.

The development of new soybean cultivars requires the development andselection of soybean cultivars, the crossing of these cultivars andselection of superior hybrid crosses. The hybrid seed is produced bymanual crosses between selected male-fertile parents or by using malesterility systems. These hybrids are selected for certain single genetraits such as pod color, flower color, pubescence color and/orherbicide resistance which indicate that the seed is truly a hybrid.Additional data on parental lines as well as the phenotype of the hybridinfluence a breeder's decision whether to continue with the specifichybrid cross. Proper testing will detect the level of superiority orimprovement over current cultivars.

Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection breeding methods are used todevelop cultivars from breeding populations. Breeding programs combinedesirable traits from two or more cultivars or various broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which cultivars are developed byselfing and selection of desired phenotypes. The new cultivars areevaluated to determine which have commercial potential.

Pedigree breeding is used commonly for the improvement ofself-pollinating crops. Two parents that possess favorable,complementary traits are crossed to produce an F1. An F2 population isproduced by selfing one or several F1's. Selection of the bestindividuals may begin in the F2 population; then, beginning in the F3the best individuals in the families are selected. Replicated testing offamilies can begin in the F4 generation to improve the effectiveness ofselection for traits with low heritability. At an advanced stage ofinbreeding (i.e., F6 and F7,) the best lines or mixtures ofphenotypically similar lines are tested for potential release as newcultivars.

Mass and recurrent selections can be used to improve populations ofeither self- or cross-pollinating crops. A genetically variablepopulation of heterozygous individuals is either identified or createdby intercrossing several different parents. The best plants are selectedbased on individual superiority, outstanding progeny, or excellentcombining ability. The selected plants are intercrossed to produce a newpopulation in which further cycles of selection are continued.

Backcross breeding has been used to transfer genes for a simplyinherited, highly heritable trait into a desirable homozygous cultivaror inbred line, which is the recurrent parent. The source of the traitto be transferred is called the donor parent. The resulting plant isexpected to have the attributes of the recurrent parent (e.g., cultivar)and the desirable trait transferred from the donor parent. After theinitial cross, individuals possessing the phenotype of the donor parentare selected and repeatedly crossed (backcrossed) to the recurrentparent. The resulting plant is expected to have the attributes of therecurrent parent (e.g., cultivar) and the desirable trait transferredfrom the donor parent.

The single-seed descent procedure in the strict sense refers to plantinga segregating population, harvesting a sample of one seed per plant, andusing the one-seed sample to plant the next generation. When thepopulation has been advanced from the F₂ to the desired level ofinbreeding, the plants from which lines are derived will each trace todifferent F₂ individuals. The number of plants in a population declineseach generation due to failure of some seeds to germinate or some plantsto produce at least one seed. As a result, not all of the F2 plantsoriginally sampled in the population will be represented by a progenywhen the generation advance is completed.

In a multiple-seed procedure, soybean breeders commonly harvest one ormore pods from each plant in a population and thresh them together toform a bulk. Part of the bulk is used to plant the next generation andpart is put in reserve. The procedure has been referred to as modifiedsingle-seed descent or the pod-bulk technique.

The multiple-seed procedure has been used to save labor at harvest. Itis considerably faster to thresh pods with a machine than to remove oneseed from each by hand for the single-seed procedure. The multiple-seedprocedure also makes it possible to plant the same number of seeds of apopulation each generation of inbreeding. Enough seeds are harvested tomake up for those plants that did not germinate or produce seed.

Descriptions of other breeding methods that are commonly used fordifferent traits and crops can be found in several reference books(e.g., Allard R. W., Principles of Plant Breeding (Wiley & Sons, 1999);Simmonds N. W., Principles of Crop Improvement (Longman, 1979); SneepJ., Hendriksen A. J. T., Plant Breeding Perspectives (Centre forAgricultural Publishing, 1979.)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a novel soybean cultivar designated WW109447with high yield potential and tolerance to Roundup™ herbicide. Theinvention relates to seeds of the cultivar WW109447, plants of thecultivar WW109447, and to methods for producing a soybean plant bycrossing of the cultivar WW109447 with itself or with another soybeangenotype.

The invention is also directed to soybean cultivar WW109447 furthercomprising one or more genes, wherein the genes are transferred intosoybean cultivar WW109447 using traditional non-transgenic breedingtechniques or by using recombinant transgene technology. The inventionfurther includes methods for producing a soybean plant by crossing thesoybean plant of cultivar WW109447, or a soybean plant comprising one ormore genes, with itself or with another soybean genotype.

The invention is further directed to methods for producing a soybeanplant by crossing a first parent soybean plant with a second parentsoybean plant, wherein the first or second soybean plant is the soybeanplant from the soybean line WW109447. Further, both first and secondparent soybean plants may be from the soybean cultivar WW109447.Therefore, any methods using the soybean cultivar WW109447 are part ofthis invention: selfing, backcrosses, hybrid breeding and crosses topopulations. All plants produced using soybean cultivar WW109447 as aparent are within the scope of the invention.

In another aspect of the invention, the one or more genes that aretransferred into soybean cultivar WW109447 confer traits such asherbicide resistance, insect resistance, disease resistance, andnematode resistance or virus resistance. An additional trait relates tothe production of thioredoxin and thioredoxin reductase enzymes formodifying grain digestibility and nutrient availability.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVETION

A soybean cultivar needs to be highly homogeneous, homozygous andreproducible to be useful as a commercial cultivar. There are manyanalytical methods available to determine the homozygotic and phenotypicstability of these cultivars.

The oldest and most traditional method of analysis is the observation ofphenotypic traits. The data is usually collected in field experimentsover the life of the soybean plants to be examined. Phenotypiccharacteristics most often observed are for traits associated with seedyield, lodging resistance, disease resistance, emergence, maturity,plant height, shattering, flower color, pubescence color, pod color andhilum color.

In addition to phenotypic observations, the genotype of a plant can alsobe examined. There are many laboratory-based techniques available forthe analysis, comparison and characterization of plant genotype; amongthese are Isozyme Electrophoresis, Restriction Fragment LengthPolymorphisms (RFLPs), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs),Arbitrarily Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs), and Simple SequenceRepeats (SSRs) which are also referred to as Microsatellites.

The cultivar of the invention has shown uniformity and stability for alltraits, as described in the following cultivar description information.It has been self-pollinated a sufficient number of generations, withcareful attention to uniformity of plant type to ensure homozygosity andphenotypic stability. The line has been increased with continuedobservation for uniformity. No variant traits have been observed or areexpected in WW109447. Soybean cultivar WW109447, being substantiallyhomozygous, can be reproduced by planting seeds of the line, growing theresulting soybean plants under self-pollinating or sib-pollinatingconditions, and harvesting the resulting seed, using techniques familiarto the agricultural arts.

Publications useful as references in interpreting the breeding historyand data presented below include: Caldwell, B. E. ed. 1973. “Soybeans:Improvement, Production, and Uses” Amer. Soc. Agron. Monograph No. 16;Buttery, B. R., and R. I. Buzzell 1968. “Peroxidase Activity in Seed ofSoybean Varieties” Crop Sci. 8: 722–725; Hymowitz, T. 1973.“Electrophoretic analysis of SBTI-A2 in the USDA Soybean GermplasmCollection” Crop Sci., 13: 420–421; Payne R. C., and L. F. Morris, 1976.“Differentiation of Soybean Varieties by Seedling Pigmentation Patterns”J. Seed. Technol. 1:1–19. The disclosures of which are each incorporatedby reference in their entirety.

Pedigree and Breeding History: WW109447 was selected from a F6 plantfrom the cross of S32-Z3 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,262,347)×S24-K4 (U.S. Pat. No.6,346,659). S24-K4 carries a gene conferring tolerance to Roundup™herbicide.

The cross S32-Z3×S24-K4 (Cross No. WX0810) was made in Iowa during thesummer of 1998. The F1 and F2 generations were grown in Hawaii duringthe winter of 1998–99. The F3 generation was grown in Iowa during thesummer of 1999. The F4 and F5 generations were grown in Hawaii duringthe winter of 1999–2000. The F6 generation was grown in Iowa during thesummer of 2000. Plants from the F1–F6 populations were sprayed withRoundup™ to remove susceptible plants. Approximately 250 plants wereharvested and threshed individually from the F6 generation. These weretested in a preliminary yield trial in Iowa in 2001. One of these,WW109447 was selected and advanced to a second year retest in 2002 andthen tested in advance trials in the northern U.S. and Ontario, Canadain 2003–2004.

WW109447 was also greenhouse tested for resistance to Phytophtthorasoiae in 2003–2004 and found to have the Rps 1-a gene for resistance.

Soybean cultivar WW1109447 has the following morphological and othercharacteristics:

Flower Color: White Pubescence Color: Light Tawny Pod Color: Tan HilumColor: Black Leaf Shape: Ovate Stem Termination: Indeterminate Seed CoatColor: Yellow Maturity Group: 2 Relative Maturity: 2.3 PhytophthoraGenes: Rps1-a Hypocotyl Length: Long Seed Coat Preoxidase: Low

The invention is further directed to methods for producing a soybeanplant by crossing a first parent soybean plant with a second parentsoybean plant, wherein the first or second soybean plant is the soybeanplant from the soybean cultivar WW109447. Further, both first and secondparent soybean plants may be from the soybean cultivar WW109447.Therefore, any methods using the soybean cultivar WW109447 are part ofthis invention: selfing, backcrosses, hybrid breeding and crosses topopulations. All plants produced using soybean cultivar WW109447 as aparent are within the scope of the invention.

The invention also encompasses plants of cultivar WW109447, and a partthereof, further comprising one or more specific, single genetransferred traits. Such genes are introgressed into cultivar WW109447from another soybean cultivar or are transformed into cultivar WW109447using techniques and materials known to those persons skilled in theart. The introgression of the trait(s) into cultivar WW109447 is, forexample, achieved by recurrent selection breeding, for example bybackcrossing. The goal of a backcross protocol is to alter or substitutea single trait or characteristic in the original inbred. In oneembodiment of the present invention, cultivar WW109447 (the recurrentparent) is first crossed to a donor inbred (the non-recurrent parent)that carries the appropriate gene(s) for the trait(s) in question. Theprogeny of this cross is then mated back to the recurrent parentfollowed by selection in the resultant progeny for the desired trait(s)to be transferred from the non-recurrent parent. After three, preferablyfour, more preferably five or more generations of backcrosses with therecurrent parent with selection for the desired trait(s), the progenywill be heterozygous for loci controlling the trait(s) beingtransferred, but will be like the recurrent parent for most or almostall other genes, i.e., will be like the recurrent parent for essentiallyall of the recurrent parent's physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics. (See, for example, Poehlman & Sleper (1995) BreedingField Crops, 4th Ed., 172–175; Fehr (1987) Principles of CultivarDevelopment, Vol. 1: Theory and Technique, 360–376.)

The laboratory-based techniques described above, in particular RFLP andSSR, can be used in such backcrosses to identify the progenies havingthe highest degree of genetic identity with the recurrent parent. Thispermits one to accelerate the production of soybean cultivars having atleast 90%, 95%, 99% genetic, or genetically identical to the recurrentparent, and further comprising the trait(s) introgressed from the donorpatent. Such determination of genetic identity can be based on molecularmarkers used in the laboratory-based techniques described above.

The last backcross generation is then selfed to give pure breedingprogeny for the gene(s) being transferred. The resulting plants haveessentially all of the morphological and physiological characteristicsof cultivar WW109447, in addition to the single gene trait(s)transferred to the inbred. The exact backcrossing protocol will dependon the trait being altered to determine an appropriate testing protocol.Although backcrossing methods are simplified when the trait beingtransferred is a dominant allele, a recessive allele may also betransferred. In this instance it may be necessary to introduce a test ofthe progeny to determine if the desired trait has been successfullytransferred.

The cultivar of the invention can also be used for transformation whereexogenous genes are introduced and expressed by the cultivar of theinvention. Genetic variants created either through traditional breedingmethods using cultivar WW109447 or through transformation of cultivarWW109447 by any of a number of protocols known to those of skill in theart are intended to be within the scope of this invention (see e.g.Trick et al. (1997) Recent Advances in Soybean Transformation, PlantTissue Culture and Biotechnology, 3:9–26). In general, a transgenetypically comprises a nucleotide sequence whose expression isresponsible or contributes to the trait, under the control of a promotercapable of directing the expression of the nucleotide sequence at thedesired time in the desired tissue or part of the plant. Constitutivepromoters, tissue-specific promoters, inducible promoters, or otherpromoters known to those persons skilled in the art are used. Thetransgene may also comprise other regulatory elements such as forexample translation enhancers or termination signals. In one embodimentof the present invention, the transgene nucleotide sequence transformedinto cultivar WW109447 may include a coding sequence that is transcribedand translated into a protein. In another embodiment of the invention,the nucleotide sequence encodes an antisense RNA or a sense RNA that isnot translated or only partially translated.

Production of a genetically modified plant tissue by transformationcombines teachings of the present disclosure with a variety oftechniques and expedients known in the art. In most instances alternateexpedients exist for each stage of the overall process. The choice ofexpedients depends on the variables such as the plasmid vector systemchosen for the cloning and introduction of the desired recombinant DNAmolecule, as well as the particular structural gene, promoter elementsand upstream elements used. Persons skilled in the art are able toselect and use appropriate alternatives to achieve optimumfunctionality. Culture conditions for expressing desired structuralgenes and cultured cells are known in the art. Also as known in the art,soybeans are transformable and regenerable such that whole plantscontaining and expressing desired genes under regulatory control may beobtained. General descriptions of plant expression vectors and reportergenes and transformation protocols can be found in Gruber, et al.,“Vectors for Plant Transformation, in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology& Biotechnology” in Glich et al. (Eds. pp. 89–119, CRC Press, 1993.)Moreover, GUS expression vectors and GUS gene cassettes are availablefrom Clone Tech Laboratories, Inc., Palo Alto, Calif., while luciferaseexpression vectors and luciferase gene cassettes are available from ProMega Corp. (Madison, Wis.) General methods of culturing plant tissuesare provided for example by Maki et al. “Procedures for IntroducingForeign DNA into Plants” in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology &Biotechnology, Glich et al. (Eds. pp. 67–88 CRC Press, 1993); and byPhillips et al. “Cell-Tissue Culture and In-Vitro Manipulation” inSoybean & Soybean Improvement, 3rd Edition Sprague et al. (Eds. pp.345–387) American Society of Agronomy Inc. et al. 1988.

Methods of introducing desired recombinant DNA molecule into planttissue include the direct infection or co-cultivation of plant cellswith Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Horsch et al., Science, 227:1229 (1985.)Descriptions of Agrobacterium vector systems and methods forAgrobacterium-mediated gene transfer provided by Gruber et al. supra.Other useful methods include but are not limited to expression vectorsintroduced into plant tissues using a direct gene transfer method suchas microprojectile-mediated delivery, DNA injection, electroporation andthe like. More preferably expression vectors are introduced into planttissues using the biolistic microprojectile delivery orAgrobacterium-medicated transformation. Transformed plants obtained viaprotoplast transformation are also intended to be within the scope ofthis invention.

Many traits have been identified that are not regularly selected for inthe development of a new cultivar but that can be improved e.g. bybackcrossing techniques or by genetic transformation. Using materialsand methods well known to those persons skilled in the art, traits thatare capable of being transferred, to cultivar WW109447 include, but arenot limited to, herbicide tolerance, resistance for bacterial, fungal,or viral disease, nematode resistance, Stephens, P. A. et al.,“Agronomic Evaluation of Tissue-Culture-Derived Soybean Plants,” Theor.Appl. Genet. (1991) 82:633–635; Komatsuda, T. et al., “Maturation andGermination of Somatic Embryos as Affected by Sucrose and Plant GrowthRegulators in Soybeans Glycine gracilis Skvortz and Glycine max (L.)Merr.,” Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture, 28:103–113 (1992); Dhir,S. et al., “Regeneration of Fertile Plants from Protoplasts of Soybean(Glycine max L. Meff.): Genotypic Differences in Culture Response,”Plant Cell Reports (1992) 11:285–289; Pandey, P. et al., “PlantRegeneration from Leaf and Hypocotyl Explants of Glycine wightii (W. andA.) VERDC. var longicauda,” Japan J. Breed. 42:1–5 (1992); and Shetty,K., et al., “Stimulation of In Vitro Shoot Organogenesis in Glycine max(Merrill.) by Allantoin and Amides,” Plant Science 81:(1992) 245–251; aswell as U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,944, issued Jun. 18, 1991 to Collins et al.and U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,200, issued Apr. 16, 1991 to Ranch et al. Thus,another aspect of this invention is to provide cells that upon growthand differentiation produce soybean plants having all or essentially allthe physiological and morphological characteristics of cultivarWW109447. The disclosures, publications, and patents that are disclosedherein are all hereby incorporated herein in their entirety byreference.

The seed of soybean cultivar WW109447 further comprising one or morespecific, single gene traits, the plant produced from the seed, thehybrid soybean plant produced from the crossing of the cultivar with anyother soybean plant, hybrid seed, and various parts of the hybridsoybean plant can be utilized for human food, livestock feed, and as araw material in industry.

Soybean is the world's leading source of vegetable oil and protein meal.The oil extracted from soybeans is used for cooking oil, margarine, andsalad dressings. Soybean oil is composed of saturated, monounsaturatedand polyunsaturated fatty acids. It has a typical composition of 11%palmitic, 4% stearic, 25% oleic, 50% linoleic and 9% linolenic fattyacid content (“Economic Implications of Modified Soybean Traits SummaryReport”, Iowa Soybean Promotion Board & American Soybean AssociationSpecial Report 92S, May 1990.) Changes in fatty acid composition forimproved oxidative stability and nutrition are constantly sought after.Industrial uses of soybean oil that is subjected to further processinginclude ingredients for paints, plastics, fibers, detergents, cosmetics,and lubricants. Soybean oil may be split, inter-esterified, sulfurized,epoxidized, polymerized, ethoxylated, or cleaved. Insect resistance,enhanced nutritional quality, such as oil, starch and protein content orquality, improved performance in an industrial process, alteredreproductive capability, such as male sterility or male fertility, yieldstability and yield enhancement. Other traits include the production ofcommercially valuable enzymes or metabolites.

Where more than one trait are introgressed into cultivar WW109447, it ispreferred that the specific genes are all located at the same genomiclocus in the donor, non-recurrent parent, preferably, in the case oftransgenes, as part of a single DNA construct integrated into thedonor's genome. Alternatively, if the genes are located at differentgenomic loci in the donor, non-recurrent parent, backcrossing allows torecover essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of cultivar WW109447 in addition to the multiple genesin the resulting soybean cultivar.

The genes responsible for a specific, single gene trait are generallyinherited through the nucleus. Known exceptions are, e.g. the genes formale sterility, some of which are inherited cytoplasmically, but stillact as single gene traits. In a preferred embodiment, a transgene to beintrogressed into cultivar WW109447 is integrated into the nucleargenome of the donor, non-recurrent parent or the transgene is directlytransformed into the nuclear genome of cultivar WW109447. In anotherembodiment of the invention, a transgene to be introgressed intocultivar WW109447 is integrated into the plastid genome of the donor,non-recurrent parent or the transgene is directly transformed into theplastid genome of cultivar WW109447. In a further embodiment of theinvention, a plastid transgene comprises one gene transcribed from asingle promoter or two or more genes transcribed from a single promoter.

A non-exclusive list of traits or nucleotide sequences capable of beingtransferred into cultivar WW109447, using material and methods wellknown to those persons skilled in the art are as follows: geneticfactor(s) responsible for resistance to brown stem rot (U.S. Pat. No.5,689,035) or resistance to cyst nematodes (U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,081); atransgene encoding an insecticidal protein, such as, for example, acrystal protein of Bacillus thuringiensis or a vegetative insecticidalprotein from Bacillus cereus, such as VIP3 (see, for example, Estruch etal. Nat Biotechnol (1997) 15:13741; a herbicide tolerance transgenewhose expression renders plants tolerant to the herbicide, for example,expression of an altered acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) enzyme confersupon plants tolerance to various imidazolinone or sulfonamide herbicides(U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,373.) Other traits capable of being transformedinto cultivar WW109447 include, for example, a non-transgenic traitconferring to cultivar WW109447 tolerance to imidazolinones orsulfonylurea herbicides; a transgene encoding a mutant acetolactatesynthase (ALS) that renders plants resistant to inhibition bysulfonylurea herbicides (U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,659); a gene encoding amutant glutamine synthetase (GS) resistant to inhibition by herbicidesthat are known to inhibit GS, e.g. phosphinothricin and methioninesulfoximine (U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,374); and a Streptomyces bar geneencoding a phosphinothricin acetyl transferase resulting in tolerance tothe herbicide phosphinothricin or glufosinate (U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,520.)Other genes capable of being transferred into the cultivar WW109447 ofthe invention include toleration to inhibition by cyclohexanedione andaryloxyphenoxypropanoic acid herbicides (U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,602), whichis conferred by an altered acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase);transgenic glyphosate tolerant plants, which tolerance is conferred byan altered 5-enolpyruvyl-3-phosphoshikimate (EPSP) synthase gene;tolerance to a protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitor, which is achievedby expression of a tolerant protoporphyrinogen oxidase enzyme in plants(U.S. Pat. No. 5,767,373.) In yet another embodiment of the presentinvention, a transgene transformed or introgressed into cultivarWW109447 comprises a gene conferring tolerance to a herbicide and atleast another nucleotide sequence for another trait, such as forexample, insect resistance or tolerance to another herbicide. Anothergene capable of being transferred into the cultivar WW109447 of theinvention expresses thioredoxin and thioredoxin reductase enzymes formodifying grain digestibility and nutrient availability (U.S. Pat. Appl.No. 20030145347.)

Direct selection may be applied where the trait acts as a dominanttrait. An example of a dominant trait is herbicide tolerance. For thisselection process, the progeny of the initial cross are sprayed with theherbicide prior to the backcrossing. The spraying eliminates any plantthat does not have the desired herbicide tolerance characteristic, andonly those plants that have the herbicide tolerance gene are used in thesubsequent backcross. This process is then repeated for the additionalbackcross generations.

Further reproduction of the cultivar can occur by tissue culture andregeneration. Tissue culture of various tissues of soybeans andregeneration of plants therefrom is well known and widely published. Forexample, reference may be had to Komatsuda, T. et al., “Genotype XSucrose Interactions for Somatic Embryogenesis in Soybean,” Crop Sci.31:333–337 (1991); Designing and producing soybean oil derivatives withimproved functionality, oliochemistry, is a rapidly growing field. Thetypical mixture of triglycerides is usually split and separated intopure fatty acids, which are then combined with petroleum-derivedalcohols or acids, nitrogen, sulfonates, chlorine, or with fattyalcohols derived from fats and oils.

Soybean is also used as a food source for both animals and humans.Soybean is widely used as a source of protein for animal feeds forpoultry, swine and cattle. During processing of whole soybeans, thefibrous hull is removed and the oil is extracted. The remaining soybeanmeal is a combination of carbohydrates and approximately 50% protein.For human consumption soybean meal is made into soybean flour that isprocessed to protein concentrates used for meat extenders or specialtypet foods. Production of edible protein ingredients from soybean offersa healthy, less expensive replacement for animal protein in meats aswell as dairy-type products.

TABLE 1 Comparison Between WW109447, Syngenta S19-V2, Pioneer 92B38 andSyngenta S24-K4 Matu- Height Iron Phytoph- Cultivar Yield rity Lodging(cm) Chlorosis thora WW109447 50.2 9/17 3.8 85 5.9 4.7 Syngenta 42.69/16 1.1 73 4.8 4.5 S19-V2 Pioneer 49.7 9/18 3.6 85 4.8 4.5 92B38Syngenta 49.3 9/19 4.3 87 5.6 4.5 S24-K4 Grand Mean 48.6 9/18 3.4 83 5.14.3 Trials with 47 27 12 5 6 2 Data LSD (0.05) 1.6 1 0.5 5 1 N/A Yield(bushels per acre), maturity date (95% mature pod color), lodging score(1 = completely upright, 9 = completely prostrate), plant height (cm.),Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (1 = highly resistant, 9 = highlysusceptible), and phytophthora (1 = no dead plants, 9 = all plantsdead). WW109447 is significantly higher in yield (LSD 0.05 = 7.6 bu/a)than Syngenta S19-V2.

DEPOSIT INFORMATION

Applicants have made a deposit of at least 2500 seeds of soybeancultivar WW109447 with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC),Manassas, Va. 20110, said deposit was made May 25, 2006, is designatedPTA-7618, and, was found to be viable on Jun. 21, 2006. Access to thisdeposit will be available during the pendency of the application to theCommissioner of Patents and Trademarks and persons determined by theCommissioner to be entitled thereto upon request. Upon allowance of anyclaims in the application, the Applicants(s) will make the depositavailable to the public pursuant to 37 CFR §1.808. Additionally,Applicants(s) will meet all the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §§1.801–1.809,including providing an indication of the viability of the sample whenthe deposit is made. This deposit of soybean cultivar WW109447 will bemaintained in the ATCC Depository, which is a public depository, for aperiod of 30 years, or 5 years after the most recent request, or for theenforceable life of the patent, whichever is longer, and will bereplaced if it ever becomes nonviable during that period. Applicantshave no authority to waive any restrictions imposed by law on thetransfer of biological material or its transportation in commerce.Applicants do not waive any infringement of its rights granted underthis patent or under the Plant Variety Protection Act that may protectsoybean cultivar WW109447.

The foregoing invention has been described in detail by way ofillustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding.However, it will be obvious that certain changes and modifications suchas single gene modifications and mutations, somaclonal variants, variantindividuals selected from large populations of the plants of the instantinbred and the like may be practiced within the scope of the invention,as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

1. Seed of soybean cultivar designated WW109447 representative seed ofsaid soybean cultivar having been deposited under ATCC Accession No:PTA-7618.
 2. A soybean plant, or a part thereof, produced by growing theseed of claim
 1. 3. Pollen of the plant of claim
 2. 4. An ovule of theplant of claim
 2. 5. A soybean plant, or a part thereof, having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the plant accordingto claim
 2. 6. Seeds of the plant of claim 5, wherein plants produced bygrowing said seeds have all the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of the plants produced by growing seeds deposited underATCC Accession No. PTA-7618.
 7. A soybean plant produced from thesoybean plant according to claim 2 by transformation with a transgenethat confers upon said soybean plant tolerance to a herbicide.
 8. Thesoybean plant according to claim 7, wherein said herbicide isglyphosate, glufosinate, a sulfonylurea or an imidazolinone herbicide,or a protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitor.
 9. A soybean plant producedfrom the soybean plant according to claim 2 by transformation with atransgene that confers upon said soybean plant insect resistance,disease resistance, nematode resistance or virus resistance.
 10. Thesoybean plant according to claim 9, wherein said transgene encodes avegetative insecticidal protein.
 11. A soybean plant produced from thesoybean plant according to claim 2 by transformation with a transgenethat modifies grain digestibility and nutrient availability.
 12. Atissue culture of regenerable cells of the soybean plant according toclaim
 2. 13. The tissue culture according to claim 12, wherein the cellsof said tissue culture are from a leaf, pollen, an embryo, a cotyledon,a hypocotyl, meristematic cells, a root, a root tip, an anther, aflower, a seed, a stem or a pod.
 14. A soybean plant generated from thetissue culture of claim
 12. 15. A soybean plant generated from thetissue culture of claim 12, wherein the regenerated plant is capable ofexpressing all of the morphological and physiological characteristics ofsoybean cultivar WW109447, representative seed of said soybean cultivarWW109447 having been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-7618.
 16. Amethod for producing a soybean seed comprising crossing a first parentsoybean plant with a second parent soybean plant and harvesting theresultant first generation soybean seed, wherein said first or secondparent soybean plant is a soybean plant according to claim 2 or asoybean plant having all the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of a plant according to claim
 2. 17. A method forproducing a WW109447-derived soybean plant, comprising: a) crossinginbred soybean line WW109447, representative seed of said soybeancultivar WW109447 having been deposited under ATCC Accession NoPTA-7618, with a second soybean plant to yield progeny soybean seed; andb) growing said progeny to yield said WW109447-derived soybean plant.18. A tissue culture of regenerable cells of the soybean plant accordingto claim
 5. 19. The tissue culture according to claim 18, wherein thecells of said tissue culture are from a leaf, pollen, an embryo, acotyledon, a hypocotyl, meristematic cells, a root, a root tip, ananther, a flower, a seed, a stem or a pod.
 20. A soybean plant generatedfrom the tissue culture of claim 18 wherein the generated plant iscapable of expressing all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of soybean cultivar WW109447, representative seed ofsaid soybean cultivar WW109447 having been deposited under ATCCAccession No. PTA-7618.
 21. A soybean plant generated from the tissueculture of claim 18, wherein the regenerated plant is capable ofexpressing all of the morphological and physiological characteristics ofsoybean cultivar WW109447, representative seed of said soybean cultivarWW109447 having been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-7618.